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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. spell — magic
  4. rash — hasty
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — a series
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. court — of law
  15. march — music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to confront
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — part of the head
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com